How about this for a flashback?
PRO FOOTBALL; Carter and Cowboys Riding High
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By VIV BERNSTEIN
Published: November 27, 2003
He was called a loser, a whiny loser at that, and it was almost inevitable that the short tenure of Dallas Cowboys quarterback Quincy Carter would come to a mercifully quick end.
That was last season, when Carter complained about practices and game plans, criticized teammates and found himself on the bench midway through the Cowboys' 5-11 embarrassment of a season.
A year later, Carter's rebirth is one of the more improbable stories in this surprising Cowboys season. He has started every game and led Dallas to an 8-3 record, tied with Philadelphia for the lead in the National Football Conference East going into Thursday's annual Thanksgiving Day game, against the Miami Dolphins at Texas Stadium.
Carter is not Pro Bowl material -- he is in the bottom half of the N.F.C. quarterback rating. But he has proved he is not scrap-heap material, either. He has won games, won back his teammates and, most important, won over Coach Bill Parcells.
''What I see now from him that's very comforting, as he does have some success, there becomes a greater sense of urgency for him,'' Parcells said during his news conference on Monday. ''He's not riding the wave in any manner of speaking. He's back to being nuts and bolts and working hard at it. That's all you can ask the kid to do.''
As for Carter, he has become a student of the game and a model citizen among players, careful not to place himself above them. Ask about his performance, and he will go out of his way to praise his teammates. Ask about last season, he is purposefully inarticulate.
''Last year was last year,'' Carter said. ''I hate to bring up negative things. The only thing I want to do right now is just go forward.''
Perhaps that is another sign of Carter's maturity, which has garnered the renewed faith of his teammates.
''He has learned how to be a professional at this job,'' running back Troy Hambrick said. ''Getting along with everybody, knowing his role, knowing when to say something, when not to say something, it's a maturing thing. He's accountable. He's learned how to be accountable.''
Or as offensive lineman Larry Allen put it: ''He's growing up. Everybody has to grow up.''
For Carter, the process almost took too long. A second-round draft pick out of Georgia in 2001, Carter had been anointed from the first training camp as the heir apparent to Troy Aikman, who retired after the 2000 season. Aikman had started as a rookie 12 years before, and Carter would do the same in the 2001 season. Injuries limited him to eight games, and he had a 3-5 record that season working with the team's offensive coordinator, Jack Reilly.
The 2002 season nearly finished him here. Carter and the Cowboys suffered a humiliating 19-10 loss against the expansion Houston Texans in the first game of the season. He took none of the blame when it was over. He lasted seven games in the system of the Cowboys' new offensive coordinator, Bruce Coslet, before a four-interception outing against Arizona sent him to the bench for good. Carter was replaced by Chad Hutchinson, waiting for what some people expected to be his eventual release.
''If you're in a high-profile position, quarterbacks, running backs or wide receivers, you've got to find the right system to fit you that you can excel at,'' Hambrick said. ''I think Quincy, to some people, was considered a deadbeat as a quarterback 'cause he didn't fit Jack Reilly's system, he didn't fit Bruce Coslet's system. But here comes Ol' Bill, like 'Old Yeller,' come to the rescue.''
Parcells, hired last January after Dave Campo was fired, brought his hammer's touch both to the Cowboys and to Carter. Carter has embraced it, allowing himself to be shoved back from the brink.
''He challenges me every day, he looks for ways I can get better,'' Carter said. ''Even after good or big games, he's not looking to pat me on my back. He's always trying to find those buttons that he can push so I can get to the next level.''
For his part, Carter is taking himself there. His numbers are not particularly impressive -- 11 touchdown passes, 13 interceptions -- but he has become a winner. He rebounded from a four-week stretch in which the team was shut out twice to carry the Cowboys past Carolina, 24-20, last Sunday at Texas Stadium. Carter set career highs with 29 completions in 44 attempts, when he threw for 254 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception to beat the team with the best record in the N.F.C.
I can't believe you said that, Brain. I think the same thing!
